This invention pertains to a shopping cart provided with a cupholder, which is located in a novel location, in a seat base of a child seat having two leg openings, which are defined by a rear gate. This invention contemplates that the cupholder is covered when a seat panel of the child seat covers the seat base but not when the seat panel blocks the leg openings.
Commonly, a shopping cart is equipped with a cupholder, which is adapted to hold a cup of water, tea or coffee, or a carbonated beverage. As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,077 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,306, it is known to mount a cupholder to a transverse handle of a shopping cart. As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,091 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,058, it is known to mount a cupholder so as to project into a shopping cart.
This invention provides a cupholder for a shopping cart comprising a handle structure, which includes two handle uprights, a rear gate, which may be made from welded wires and which is mounted to the handle uprights so as to be pivotable between a lowered position for usage of the shopping cart and a raised position for nesting of a similar cart into the shopping cart, and a child seat, for which the rear gate has two leg openings.
The child seat comprises a seat base, which may be made from welded wires, a seat back, which may be made from welded wires, and a seat panel, which may be imperforate. Broadly, the child seat comprises a seat base, a seat back, and a seat panel and, as contemplated by this invention, the seat base includes a cupholder, the seat panel being movable between a covering position wherein the seat panel covers the seat base but does not block the leg openings and a blocking position where the seat panel does not cover the seat base but blocks the leg openings, and the seat base including a cupholder, which is covered by the seat panel when the seat panel is moved to the covering position but not when the seat panel is moved to the blocking position.
Preferably, the seat base is mounted to the rear gate so as to be pivotable, when the rear gate is pivoted to the lowered position, between a usage position and a storage position. In the storage position, the seat base projects frontwardly from the rear gate, below the leg openings. Preferably, the seat back is mounted to the rear gate so as to be pivotable conjointly with the seat base, when the rear gate is pivoted to the lowered position, between a pivoted position corresponding to the usage position of the seat base, away from the rear gate, and a pivoted position corresponding to the storage position of the seat base, toward the rear gate. Preferably, the seat panel is mounted to the seat base so as to be pivotable, when the rear gate is pivoted to the lowered position between a covering position wherein the seat panel projects frontwardly and covers the seat base and a blocking position wherein the seal panel rests against the rear gate and blocks the leg opening.
Preferably, the seat base comprises welded wires, which include one or more wires of the cupholder, the one or more wires projecting downwardly when the seat base is pivoted to the usage position. Preferably, moreover, the seat back comprises welded wires, between two of which each of the one or more wires of the cupholder is adapted to pass. Alternatively, the seat base comprises welded wires, to certain of which one or more wires of the cupholder is or are attached pivotably so as to project downwardly when the seat base is pivoted to the usage position. Preferably, the seat panel is imperforate, at least where the seat panel covers the cupholder when the seat panel is pivoted to the covering position.